New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-17
\ MEMOIR. OF THE POPE.
AN AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY.

pnns' Hy BERNARD UREIILT, b. D., l. D. svo, PIP
578 Charles L Webster n 90.
DR.. OReilly has founded this memoir of the Pop
unou MSS. supplied by the Vatican. He writes il
the reversnt spirit of the devoted Roman Church
man, and, of course, discusses all political move
ments and ALI matters of church history from the
Roman Churchman'S point of view His picture o.
the Ponies boyhood is an attractive one. Inc HUG
Joachim Vincent Raphael Lodovico Pecci was the
child Of a line of nobles-men and women VINO hao
been for generations educated. refined and dlstln
Quishcd He was gentle, patient and clever ilttiC
lad. who worshipped his mother, Countess Anna
Pccci. She is described as q woman of unusual
perfection of character.
For the writer of these pages ii was extremttiiy
touching to hear her third son. fne vsncraD eos
Cardinal Pecci of to- day. recount, with voice no!
mistaken by emotion the qualities q tne ss IN
taken from her children sl to soon. ohe "asS, ~.
truth %sTsa TO the In @
distress she had daily supplies OF bread baked TOT
them. You know how fond our peasants SAINT
She directed in person and watched the
servants while preparing and cooking huge CAL
dTons of this species of pottage inns, as well as
the bread, was dealt out under her superintendent
TO all who needed it. Aud she took especial care
that the sick poor who could not leave thelii
homes should have their supply sent TO them ana
that the bashful poor wh0 could not bear 10 nave
their distress known should receive assistance III
such a delicate way as to prevent their pelng
abased thereby IN their own ewes. -.
She was the soul of every good work or pley
and beneiicence that was set afoot IN the town;
Indeed, she started many Of them herself but an
this active outside charity never made her negleSt
her home duties She laylshed on Us all uo'hot
most devoted tenderness"
Count Pecci was thoroughly in sympathy with
his wife and their home life with their children
was such as to develop all that was most lovaoie
and innocent in the little ones. The youngest OF
the six was the quickest of all at his books. As
scboolboy he was remarkable for producing good
Latin verse; His bograDher says The rule for
all who contended here for the prize of excellence
was that they should within the space of SIX hours
and without any external aid whatever, write
certain number of Latin hexameter5 on q speclned
subject. This subject happened to be the Feast Oh
Belshazzar Young Pecci produced 40 verses OF
such uuquestionabe excellence that the prize was
unanimously awarded to him by the judges THIS
however, was not his only success; to him were
also awarded the first honors in Greek" These
academic bonors continued throughout his student
life.
One of his schoolmates IN Viterbo and in Rome
wrote in February 1878, immediately after the
election of Leo XIII:
at Viterbo he won our admiration not only by MS
Guick intelligence. but still more by the singular
purity of his life. During our Humanltles course
we were rivals, and there each time saw MN nc
impressed me as being all life and Intellect. All
through his studies In Rome he ne sought social
gatherings, conversational, diversions or games.
His workable was his world; it was paradise to
hun to be plunged IN the study OF science FROM
his twelfth and thirteenth years upward he wrote
Latin prose and verse with facility ana an eIe-
gance that were wonderful in one so young
When young Pecci was matriculated in 1880
among the theological students of the Gregorian
University, his Alma Mater, 1t was to begin new
series of trumphs In 1882 he received his degree
of Doctor; and he thenceforward invariably
signed his name Joachim He entered the col
Iege for noble ecclesiastics which was the nursery
of all who were destined for diplomatic or adj
ministrative career under the Pontihcal
Government and his abilities were quickly recos-
nized by his superiors Gregory XVI in 1887 ap-
pointed him of his domestic prelates and IN the
following year sent him Delegate or Governor to
the Province of Benevento.
This little principaIIty, which is only forty,,six
geographical square miles in extent, was given. like
other possessions, to the Popes by the plety of
former ages. 1t Is situated IN the midst of what
was on CO the kingdom of Naples short days jour.
ney from the city of that name, aud IN the midst OF
n population which, in 1888, mad been rendered
utterly reckless OF all rule by the preceding pollt-
cal and social changes. Napoleon !, IN his hour of
undisputOd supremacg had given this little terri
tory with the title of Pruce of Benevento, to his
clever and unprlnciple Minister. Talleyrand..
The men who mad been the firmest III their loyal
ty to the princes expelled by Napoleon. and had
been most active in organizing against the French
occupiers the guerilla bands which deiied the pur-
suit of the best-discipllned troops, soon became
themselves the terror OF the entire country lhey
levied a heavy tax on the towns and haInlets they
protected, pretended to protect, against the
foreign invader; they blaGSmaied ane f fSdr ana
spired 10 Cypress and to plumber friends as well as
foes and to gratIty with impanlty their greed or
their Ivate resentments: Indeed, the powerful
and the rich who had, in the beginning of the in-
vasion, been instrumental in getting up these
armed bands, and had often lea them IN their
,,tara IA 40
to feel til I brigandage was powerful weapon Tor
serving their own selfish purposes even when 1t
had no longer the pretext OF serving the puollc
good.
The restoration. therefore, of the Bourbons to
Naples and of the Pope TO Rome found, Ill every
province of the southern kingdom at least. society
In town and country fael back to the disorders
of the feuda times The wealthy and the mobiles
had filed their castles with armed retainers, and
these had TO live on the country.
In the little province of BeneyentO another EVIL
seriously increased and complicated this state or
lawessness ana confusion. The Papal rule was
mild and fatherly at all times the people had no
heavy burden of imposts taxes to bear Then
n small province situated in the very heart OF
foreign and quite different government Would
treat for evldoeTs flying from justice. There was
thus perpetual risk OF conflict between the Neapo-
tan and the Papal AUTHORITIES, as well as growing
contempt for ali law and order among the Beneyen-
TIM, particularly among the classes interested In
maintaining disorder aud violence
Such was the state of things for which it was ex-
pected a young priest of twenty-eight years could
ind remedy. Gregory XVI and hrs counsellors
must have had very high opinion of the youthful
prelate aud his ability to cope wi th we-organzed
bands Of desperate men, to think OF dlspatching
him on such o mission when Others far III re ex-
perlenced and of higher dignity, had failed TO
check the inveterate disorder and had retired,
bafiled, from their battle with brigandage aud
smuggling,
Before he could consider remedies for these trOu-
blcs the young priest was stricken by typhoid fever
and his life was saved with difficulty. His danger
aroused the sympathy of the people, and on his re-
covery he proceeded to fulfil his duty after fash
ion which moved them to fear.
The brigands. smugglers outlaws and their pro-
tectors fancied at first that they could BIS moro
than q match for the young scholar. pale from the
long vgs of his study IN Rome, and no " sadly de-
bilitated by dangerous illness. Butthc knowledge
ne had previously had as high officer of the kO-
man Government, of the condition Of things in Ben
eYento and of the misdeeds of the men who now